The Fantasy Stakes is a
Grade III American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
Thoroughbred horse race
Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in ...
for three-year-old
fillies
A filly is a female horse that is too young to be called a mare. There are two specific definitions in use:
*In most cases, a ''filly'' is a female horse under four years old.
*In some nations, such as the United Kingdom and the United States, t ...
at a distance of one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt run annually usually in early April at
Oaklawn Park Race Track
Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, formerly Oaklawn Park Race Track, is an American thoroughbred racetrack and casino in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is the home to "The Racing Festival of the South", a four-day series of races that concludes with the A ...
in
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs is a resort city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Garland County. The city is located in the Ouachita Mountains among the U.S. Interior Highlands, and is set among several natural hot springs for which the city is n ...
. The event currently offers a purse of $600,000.
History
The inaugural running of the event was on 6 April 1973 and was won by Robert E. Lehmann's Knitted Gloves coming from behind by lengths in a time of 1:42.
[
After three runnings the event was upgraded to Grade II status in 1976]Davona Dale
Davona Dale (1976–1997) was an American Hall of Fame Champion Thoroughbred racehorse.
Background
Owned and bred by Calumet Farm, her sire descends from Nearco and her damsire is Hall of Famer Tim Tam who won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness St ...
in 1979 who captured the U.S. Filly Triple Crown becoming the U.S. Champion three-year-old filly, the 1980 winner and US Hall of Fame inductee Bold 'n Determined
{{Infobox racehorse
, horsename = Bold 'n Determined
, image =
, caption =
, sire = Bold And Brave
, grandsire = Bold Ruler
, dam = Pidi
, damsire = Determine
, sex = Filly
, foaled = 1977
, country = United States
, colour = ...
. The 1980 US Champion two-year-old filly Heavenly Cause
Heavenly Cause (foaled May 22, 1978 in Maryland) was an American Thoroughbred champion racehorse.
Background
Bred by Adele W. Paxson, Heavenly Cause was sired by Grey Dawn, the 1964 French Champion Two-Year-Old Colt and 1990 Leading broodmare ...
won this event in her sophomore season. Other champions to win this event were Tiffany Lass, the 1986 U.S. Champion three-year-old filly and the 1987 winner Very Subtle
Very Subtle (foaled 1984 in Kentucky) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who won three Grade I stakes including the 1987 Breeders' Cup Sprint against male opponents in which she defeated the heavily favored Groovy by four lengths.
Very Subtl ...
who later that year would win the Breeders' Cup Sprint
The Breeders' Cup Sprint is an American Weight for Age Grade I Thoroughbred horse race for horses three years old and older. Run on dirt Corrected grade for Santa Anita sprintover a distance of 6 Furlongs ( mile), the race has been held annually si ...
at Hollywood Park Racetrack
Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, the original Hollywood Park Casino was added to the ...
.
In 1990, the event was downgraded to Grade II statusEight Belles
Eight Belles (February 23, 2005 – May 3, 2008) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who came second in the 2008 Kentucky Derby to the winner Big Brown. Her collapse just after the race resulted in immediate euthanasia.
Earlier in the ye ...
won the event as a short 1/2 odds-on favorite in a four-horse field.[ Later that spring Eight Belles would be tragically euthanized after finishing second in the ]2008 Kentucky Derby
The 2008 Kentucky Derby was the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 3, 2008 with 157,770 in attendance, the second largest in Derby history.[Triple Crown
Triple Crown may refer to:
Sports Horse racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States)
** Triple Crown Trophy
** Triple Crown Productions
* Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Trip ...]
events. Rachel Alexandra
Rachel () was a Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban. Her older sister was Leah, Jacob's first wife. Her aunt ...
, the winner in 2009 by the stakes record of lengths went on to win the Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () on ...
. She would later be crowned the US Horse of the Year. Also Swiss Skydiver
Swiss Skydiver (foaled March 10, 2017) is a retired American champion Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2020 Preakness Stakes, only the sixth filly to win the second leg of the Triple Crown. She also won the 2020 Santa Anita Oaks, 2020 Alaba ...
, the 2020 winner would go on and win the Preakness Stakes
The Preakness Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race held on Armed Forces Day which is also the third Saturday in May each year at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. It is a Grade I race run over a distance of 9.5 furlongs () on ...
defeating the Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...
winner Authentic
Authenticity or authentic may refer to:
* Authentication, the act of confirming the truth of an attribute
Arts and entertainment
* Authenticity in art, ways in which a work of art or an artistic performance may be considered authentic
Music
* A ...
.
The event is a prep race to the Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing The Triple Tiara of Thoroughbred Racing, formerly known as the Filly Triple Crown, is a set of three horse races in the United States which is open to three-year-old fillies. Presently the only official Triple Tiara is the three race series in New Y ...
, including the Kentucky Oaks
The Kentucky Oaks is a Graded stakes race, Grade I stakes race for three-year-old Thoroughbred Filly, fillies staged annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The race currently covers at Churchill Downs; the horses carry . The Kentucky O ...
, Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
The George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies run over a distance of miles on the dirt annually at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The event currently offers a ...
and Mother Goose Stakes
The Mother Goose Stakes is an American thoroughbred horse race for three-year-old fillies held at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Raced on dirt in late June or early July, the race currently offers a purse of $300,000. Inaugurated in 1957 at a mi ...
.
Records
Speed record:
* 1:41.20 – My Darling One (1984)
Margins:
* lengths – Rachel Alexandra
Rachel () was a Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban. Her older sister was Leah, Jacob's first wife. Her aunt ...
(2009)
Most wins by a jockey
A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...
:
* 4 – Chris McCarron
Christopher John McCarron (born March 27, 1955, Boston, Massachusetts) is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. He mounted his first horse ever at 16.5 years old and was racing professionally by 18. At only 19 years o ...
(1984, 1987, 1989, 1992)
Most wins by a trainer:
* 4 – Steve Asmussen
Steven Mark Asmussen (born November 18, 1965) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. The leading trainer in North America by wins, he is a two-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer and was inducted into the National Mu ...
(2016, 2017, 2019, 2021)
Most wins by an owner:
* 3 – Fox Hill Farms (2005, 2008, 2011)
Winners
''Notes:''
† In the 1987 running, Up The Apalachee, was first past the post but was disqualified and placed second. Very Subtle was declared the winner.
See also
*Road to the Kentucky Oaks The Road to the Kentucky Oaks is a points system to qualify for the Kentucky Oaks, one of the most important races for three-year-old fillies and held the day before the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. It features roughly 30 stakes races for Thor ...
*List of American and Canadian Graded races
The List of American and Canadian Graded races is a list of Thoroughbred horse races in the United States and Canada that meet the graded stakes standards maintained by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders ...
External links
Oaklawn Park Media Guide 2020
References
{{reflist, 2
1973 establishments in Arkansas
Horse races in Arkansas
Oaklawn Park
Flat horse races for three-year-old fillies
Graded stakes races in the United States
Recurring sporting events established in 1973
Grade 3 stakes races in the United States